Category: Digital – AI & Apps

News and media stories that reflect Internet activities via social media, AI, Apps, and digital communication channels.

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‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ to arrive on digital platforms

Enter the arena again when “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” arrives on premium video on demand and premium electronic sell-through on Dec. 19 from Lionsgate.

 

The film will be available to buy for $24.99 and to rent for $19.99 on participating digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play and Vudu.

 

Based on the Suzanne Collins novel of the same name, the prequel centers on Panem’s President Snow — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen’s games. Tom Blyth‘s Coriolanus Snow is an Academy student tasked with mentoring District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler, in the 10th annual Hunger Games.

 

Their pairing sets off a series of events that force Snow to battle his instincts for good and evil. Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis round out the cast. The film is still currently playing in theaters and has earned over $300 million worldwide.

 

Francis Lawrence directed the film from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt.

 

In his review of the film, Variety’s film critic Peter Debruge wrote, “Much like ‘Harry Potter,’ the book series whose Hollywood success made this franchise possible, the big-screen adaptations took a few false steps before hitting their stride with a single director — in this case, Francis Lawrence — who now returns to helm a prequel (far better than the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies) that impressively expands the canon while honoring its key themes.”

 

The other “Hunger Games” movies are available to stream on Peacock and Fubo TV.

 

 

 

— Variety

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Universal Display Corporation named to The Wall Street Journal’s list of Best-Managed Companies of 2023

EWING, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — $OLED #OLED — Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED) (UDC), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, has been named to The Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) Top 250 ranking of The Best-Managed Companies of 2023.

 

The annual Management Top 250 ranking of America’s best-run companies is based on a holistic measure of corporate effectiveness that was developed by the Drucker Institute and examines five dimensions of corporate performance: customer satisfaction, employee engagement and development, innovation, social responsibility and financial strength.

 

“This recognition is a testament to the dedication, passion and hard work of our incredible UDC team members and is a celebration of our commitment to excellence in every facet of our global company,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display Corporation.

 

“From our broadening portfolio of innovative and energy-efficient products and services to fostering a corporate culture of inventiveness, integrity, inclusion and collaboration, we are building on our robust leadership position in the growing OLED ecosystem. As we approach the 30th anniversary of UDC’s founding, we are excited to reach even greater heights in the future and make a lasting impact in the industry.”

 

About Universal Display Corporation

Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq: OLED) is a leader in the research, development and commercialization of organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies and materials for use in display and solid-state lighting applications. Founded in 1994 and with subsidiaries and offices around the world, the Company currently owns, exclusively licenses or has the sole right to sublicense more than 6,000 patents issued and pending worldwide. Universal Display licenses its proprietary technologies, including its breakthrough high-efficiency UniversalPHOLED® phosphorescent OLED technology that can enable the development of energy-efficient and eco-friendly displays and solid-state lighting. The Company also develops and offers high-quality, state-of-the-art UniversalPHOLED materials that are recognized as key ingredients in the fabrication of OLEDs with peak performance. In addition, Universal Display delivers innovative and customized solutions to its clients and partners through technology transfer, collaborative technology development and on-site training. To learn more about Universal Display Corporation, please visit https://oled.com/.

 

Universal Display Corporation and the Universal Display Corporation logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Universal Display Corporation. All other company, brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks.

 

All statements in this document that are not historical, such as those relating to the projected adoption, development and advancement of the Company’s technologies, and the Company’s expected results and future declaration of dividends, as well as the growth of the OLED market and the Company’s opportunities in that market, are forward-looking financial statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this document, as they reflect Universal Display Corporation’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in greater detail in Universal Display Corporation’s periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, in particular, the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Universal Display Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022. Universal Display Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this document.

 

Follow Universal Display Corporation

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Universal Display:
Darice Liu

investor@oled.com
media@oled.com
+1 609-964-5123

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Owkin enters collaboration agreement with MSD to develop AI-powered diagnostics for cancer

  • Owkin to collaborate with MSD to develop and commercialize AI-powered digital pathology Microsatellite Instability High (MSI-H) diagnostics for four types of cancer.
  • The aim is to pre-screen patients for the MSI-H biomarker, which is found in a broad range of solid tumor types and is a strong predictor of PD1/PDL-1 inhibitor efficacy in cancer.

 

 

PARIS — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Owkin, a French-American biotechnology company that applies artificial intelligence (AI) to drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, on Monday announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with MSD, the trade name of Merck & Co Inc., Rahway N.J. U.S.A. to develop and commercialize AI-powered digital pathology diagnostics for the E.U. market.

 

Clinical trials have shown that the MSI-H tumor phenotype has potential prognostic and therapeutic importance, especially with the increased application of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies.1,2,3,4 As such, MSI-H has become an important genomic biomarker with applications across several types of cancer. As a result, testing for MSI-H is now recommended by consensus guidelines internationally.5,6,7,8

 

Meriem Sefta, Chief Diagnostics Officer, said, “This strategic alliance with MSD is focused on improving the way patients are diagnosed and receive treatment, advancing our shared mission of supporting healthcare providers in their adoption of innovative digital diagnostics. It is clear that there is a need for AI diagnostics that can both ease bottlenecks and resource pressures while also ramping up biomarker testing to match patients with optimal treatments.”

 

This collaboration seeks to develop a pre-screening procedure to improve testing rates for MSI-H in endometrial, gastric, small intestinal, and biliary cancers. In these cancer types, MSI-H prevalence is low and MSI-H screening is not routinely performed. The collaboration will initially be focused in the European Union.

 

“The application of AI technologies holds tremendous potential in the screening of patients and the diagnosis of disease,” said Scott K. Pruitt, associate vice president and head, Translational Oncology, MSD Research Laboratories. “We look forward to working with the Owkin team toward harnessing this opportunity to identify more patients with MSI-H cancers who may benefit from ICI therapy.”

 

Owkin, which currently has the only MSI digital pathology diagnostic CE-marked in colorectal cancer, will extend the development of its MSI-H AI diagnostics into four new cancer types, leveraging multimodal patient data from multiple academic centers and hospitals.

 

About Owkin

Owkin is a biotechnology company that combines the best of human and artificial intelligence to ensure every patient gets the right treatment. By understanding complex biology through AI, we identify new treatments, de-risk and accelerate clinical trials and develop AI diagnostics. Owkin uses privacy-enhancing federation to access up-to-date multimodal patient data that unlocks AI’s potential to power precision medicine.

 

Owkin is working to deliver AI diagnostics that integrate seamlessly into the digital pathology workflow to support accurate diagnosis at a fraction of the time and cost of existing tests. Our solutions help improve pathology workflows, pre-screen for biomarkers, and predict outcomes— giving healthcare providers a fuller picture of a patient’s disease. This means more patients can benefit from targeted therapies, making precision medicine more accessible to more patients at an earlier stage of their disease.

 

Owkin has raised over $300 million through investments from leading biopharma companies (Sanofi and BMS) and venture funds (Fidelity, GV and BPI, among others).

 

MSIntuit CRC

MSIntuit CRC is a CE-marked AI diagnostic that optimizes testing for microsatellite instability (MSI), a critical biomarker for CRC patients that represents a defect in a cell’s ability to correct mistakes that occur when DNA is replicated. Testing is now recommended by consensus guidelines, such as European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Europe and College of American Pathologists (CAP) in the US. MSI phenotyping is also essential to both the management of hereditary colorectal cancers and prognosis evaluation.

 

MSIntuit CRC is used for pre-screening and applies machine learning to digitized pathology slides to help pathologists and oncologists in their objective to facilitate better access to immunotherapy for all CRC patients.

 

MSIntuit CRC aims to have a significant impact on doctors and patients by decreasing workload and turnaround time, optimizing costs, and preserving tissue material and consumables. By using AI, this innovative tool may also support reproducibility through addressing inter-observer variability, with the end goal of optimizing quality and efficiency for critical tests.

 

1 KEYNOTE-177 (Pembrolizumab in Microsatellite-Instability–High Advanced Colorectal Cancer) https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2017699

2 CheckMate 142 (Nivolumab (NIVO) ± ipilimumab (IPI) in patients (pts) with microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair-deficient (MSI-H/dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): Five-year follow-up from CheckMate 142) https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.3510

3 KEYNOTE-158 (Pembrolizumab in microsatellite instability high or mismatch repair deficient cancers: updated analysis from the phase II KEYNOTE-158 study) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35680043/

4 Dostarlimab for Primary Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36972026/

5 ESMO recommendation, Annals of Oncology 30: 1232–1243, 2019

6 NICE [Accessed June 2023]

7 Cancer Ind. Évaluation du statut MMR tumoral / synthèse. 2021; [Accessed June 2023]

8 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Colorectal (Version 1 2018).

Contacts

Stephanie Libous

Director of PR & Comms

stephanie.libous@owkin.com

Edward Farmer

PR Consultant

edward.farmer-ext@owkin.com

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DaleBoot partners with Aetrex to offer custom ski boots based on 3D foot scans

Partnership marks the first use of 3D foot scanning technology in custom ski gear

 

TEANECK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Aetrex, Inc., a global market leader in foot scanning technology and data-driven orthotics and comfort footwear, on Tuesday announced its partnership with custom ski boot manufacturer DaleBoot.

 

Leveraging Aetrex’s Albert 2 Pro foot scanning technology, DaleBoot will transition from manually measuring customer’s feet to using automated 3D foot scan data to design custom ski boots, improving fit accuracy and customer satisfaction and reducing refitting rates during a compact winter retail season.


After years of testing several foot scanning technologies, DaleBoot selected Aetrex technology for its accuracy and ease of use. Aetrex’s scanners use a pure computer vision model to create the most accurate 3D reconstruction of the foot available on the market. DaleBoot customers will complete a 20 second foot scan on the Albert 2 Pro and answer questions on ski experience, previous discomfort with ski boots and preferred snow conditions. DaleBoot will then use the 3D foot scan data and customer-reported information to develop a pair of custom ski boots with a personalized-fit shell, a fully custom liner and in-boot and on-ski stance balance and alignment, in under a week.

 

“Most skiiers consider wearing uncomfortable ski boots an unavoidable experience when hitting the slopes. But any footwear, including ski boots, designed to fit your feet should never be painful. Our partnership with DaleBoot aims to make that a reality by bringing detailed, accurate 3D measurements and data-driven insights to the ski boot development process,” said Larry Schwartz, CEO of Aetrex.

 

As of August 2023, Aetrex scanners are currently in use at 8 DaleBoot stores, including Salt Lake City, UT, and Kitzbuehel, Austria locations. The company plans to bring Aetrex foot scanners to all 60 points of distribution in ski shops around the world.

 

“Our commitment to continuous innovation has made DaleBoot the custom boot manufacturer of choice for the industry since 1969. Our customers know they can always count on us for the latest and greatest in ski boot technology,” said Rob Graham, CEO of DaleBoot. “Partnering with Aetrex during this next phase of our evolution makes our boots more personalized and data-driven than ever before.”

 

To learn more, visit www.aetrex.com/technology or contact Aetrex National Accounts Manager Justin Dyszelski at jdyszelski@aetrex.com to discuss leveraging Aetrex technology for developing snow sports gear.

 

About Aetrex

Aetrex, Inc. is widely recognized as a global leader in foot scanning technology and data-driven orthotics and comfort footwear. Aetrex has developed state-of-the-art foot scanning devices, including Albert, Albert 2 Pro and Albert 3DFit (2022 and 2023 CES Innovation Award Honorees), Albert Pressure and iStep, designed to accurately measure feet and determine foot type and pressure points. Since 2002, Aetrex has placed over 12,000 scanners worldwide that have performed more than 50 million unique customer foot scans, currently averaging more than 2.5 million scans a year.

 

The company is renowned for its over-the-counter orthotics – the worlds #1 premium foot orthotic. With fashion, function and quality at the forefront, Aetrex also designs and manufactures stylish, performance footwear. Based in New Jersey, Aetrex is consistently named one of New Jersey’s Top 100 Privately Held Companies and was also included in NJBIZ’s Top 30 Manufacturing Companies. It has remained privately owned by the Schwartz family for three generations. For additional information, visit www.aetrex.com.

 

About DaleBoot

Since its inception in 1969, DaleBoot has been highly focused on designing and manufacturing fully custom, high performance ski boots. With its factory and North American Headquarters based in Salt Lake City, and their European HQ located in the heart of the Alps in Kitzbuehel, Austria, DaleBoot provides worldwide coverage through its exclusive retail partner network. With 14 patents issued in its name, the company has chartered a course to address real customer issues, facing 85% of the skiing population, who experience problems, from large to small, with their ski boots. The DaleBoot process includes a complete athletic and bio-mechanic assessment, a series of 3D measurements, shell and liner customization, in-boot stance balance and alignment, and true on-ski cant correction. The result is a high performance ski boot that fits comfortably and is exciting to ski.

 

Founded by Mel Dalebout, an alternate for the 1952 U.S. Olympic Ski Team, and Intermountain Ski Hall of Fame inductee, the company was purchased by Rob Graham, a former U.S. freestyler, in 2007. Graham’s passion for the sport and deep business and orthopaedic acumen has propelled the company forward in terms of ski boot design and development, while establishing a new line of business dedicated to the design and manufacturing of devices used for orthopaedic surgeries. The company remains independently owned and operated. For more information on DaleBoot, please visit www.daleboot.com.

Contacts

Simone Migliori

Matter Communications

aetrex@matternow.com

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Best’s Review looks ahead to 2024 key issues

OLDWICK, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — In a new article, Best’s Review speaks to experts about what they see as the insurance industry’s top issues in the coming year.

 

Hot topics include natural catastrophes and climate risk, generative artificial intelligence, cyber risk, litigation and nuclear verdicts, as well as the U.S. presidential election.

 

The insurance workforce is also in the spotlight as layoff announcements have accelerated. Read the full story in “Insurers Look Ahead to 2024 and Key Issues: Catastrophes, Inflation, Layoffs, AI and More.”

 

Best’s Review is AM Best’s monthly insurance magazine, covering emerging issues and trends and evaluating their impact on the marketplace. The complete content of Best’s Review is available here.

 

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contacts

Patricia Vowinkel
Executive Editor, Best’s Review®
+1 908 882 1771
patricia.vowinkel@ambest.com

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Denzel Washington to cast as ancient Gen. Hannibal in Antoine Fuqua Netflix film, sparks controversy in Tunisia

Denzel Washington being cast in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Netflix movie as ancient Carthaginian General Hannibal, is sparking some controversy in Tunisia, the home country of the great military commander.

 

According to French newspaper Courrier International, there are complaints about depicting the Carthaginian general as a Black African being made in the media and the Tunisian parliament.

 

Member of Parliament Yassine Mami has pointed out that Hannibal, who was born in 247 BC in Carthage – now known as Tunis, the Tunisian capital – was of West Asian Semitic origin.

 

“There is a risk of falsifying history: We need to take position on this subject,” the Tunisian politician reportedly stated.

 

Concurrently, French-language Tunisian newspaper La Presse has published an editorial in which it similarly objects that depicting Hannibal as a Black African is “according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error.”

 

However, Tunisian culture Minister Hayet Ketat-Guermazi had a different, more pragmatic take on the matter.

 

“It’s fiction. It is their [Netflix‘s] right to do what they want,” she responded, according to French newspaper Le Monde. “Hannibal is a historical figure and we are all proud that he was Tunisian. But what can we do?”

 

She went on to note that she is trying to negotiate with Netflix to shoot at least a portion of the film in Tunisia.

 

“I hope they decide to shoot at least a sequence of the film here and that that this is publicized. We want Tunisia to go back to being a location where foreign films are shot,” Ketat-Guermazi said, as reported by Le Monde.

 

Representatives for Netflix, Washington and Fuqua did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

 

The controversy in Tunisia over Washington playing Hannibal is reminiscent of the uproar sparked in Egypt in April over Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, playing Cleopatra in Netflix’s docudrama “Queen Cleopatra.” The first-century Egyptian queen was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty. Egyptian academics went on a rampage over the fact that Cleopatra was of European descent and not Black.

 

The still-untitled film about the Carthaginian general will be written by John Logan, the three-time Academy Award winner who scribed Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.”

 

According to the official logline, the movie is “based on real-life warrior Hannibal, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history. The film covers the pivotal battles he led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.”

 

Hannibal invaded Italy while riding a Northern African war elephant. Under his lead, the Carthaginians won key victories against the Romans, allowing Hannibal to occupy the majority of southern Italy for 15 years. Eventually, Hannibal was defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Zama after they counter-invaded North Africa.

 

Fuqua most recently directed Washington in the action-thriller “The Equalizer 3,” in which Washington reprised his role as ex-Marine Robert McCall.

 

Washington is currently involved in another war epic, the upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” which has resumed shooting in Malta after production was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

 

 

— Variety

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NICE Actimize recognized as Category Leader in the Chartis KYC Data and Solutions 2023 Market Update and Vendor Landscape Report

Measured across five unique solution functions, NICE Actimize scored highly in KYC risk scoring capabilities as well as reporting and dashboarding, and customer onboarding

 

 

HOBOKEN, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #NICE—NICE Actimize, a NICE (NASDAQ: NICE) business, has been recognized by Chartis Research as a Category Leader in KYC solutions in its recently released KYC Data and Solutions 2023 Market Update and Vendor Landscape Report. The Chartis KYC RiskTech Quadrant® rated vendors across Market Potential and Completeness of Offering criteria which included 35 vendors of KYC solutions featured in this report. Chartis Research, part of Infopro Digital, is a leading provider of research and analysis on the global market for risk technology.

NICE Actimize achieved high scores across various parameters, including reporting and dashboarding, KYC risk scoring, customer profile enrichment with additional data, customer onboarding and maintenance. Most notably, NICE Actimize achieved a “four-star” rating for the category of KYC risk scoring. Other characteristics influencing the ranking position were market potential attributes, including customer satisfaction, market penetration, growth strategy, business model, and financials.

 

“NICE Actimize has continued to build out its KYC offering across cloud and on-premise deployments, developing its simulation and model and entity risk capabilities,” said Ahmad Kataf, Senior Research Specialist at Chartis Research. “Its strong partnership strategy reinforces its position as a hub for a flexible financial crime compliance marketplace, and it has also demonstrated continued growth on top of its already strong market penetration. All these factors are reflected in its category leader positioning in our KYC Solutions quadrant.”

 

“NICE Actimize’s AI-powered KYC/CDD solutions manage critical compliance challenges while providing complete customer lifecycle coverage without compromising customer experience,” said Craig Costigan, CEO, NICE Actimize, “As our financial services organizations place stronger emphasis on determining risk, our entity risk approach offers an unmatched ability to access true and transparent business intelligence around customers and entities while managing critical compliance challenges.”

 

In addition to offering complete customer lifecycle risk coverage, NICE Actimize’s next-generation KYC/CDD solution includes integrated data intelligence, identity resolution, extensive out-of-the-box risk models, dynamic segmentation and risk scoring, simulation, and full auditability to help organizations fully understand their customers, their customers’ connections, and any associated risks.

 

NICE Actimize was recently positioned number fifteen in Chartis’ comprehensive list of top 100 global risk and compliance technology vendors in the 2024 Chartis RiskTech100 report.

 

For further information on NICE Actimize solutions for Know Your Customer / KYC solutions, including white papers and e-books, please visit its web site here.

 

About Chartis

Chartis Research is the leading provider of research and analysis on the global market for risk technology. It is part of Infopro Digital, which owns market-leading brands such as Risk and WatersTechnology. The goal of Chartis Research is to support enterprises as they drive business performance through improved risk management, corporate governance and compliance, and to help clients make informed technology and business decisions by providing in-depth analysis and actionable advice on virtually all aspects of risk technology.

 

RiskTech Quadrant®, RiskTech100® and FinTech QuadrantTM are registered trademarks of Infopro Digital Services Limited (http://www.chartis-research.com).

 

About NICE Actimize

NICE Actimize is the largest and broadest provider of financial crime, risk and compliance solutions for regional and global financial institutions, as well as government regulators. Consistently ranked as number one in the space, NICE Actimize experts apply innovative technology to protect institutions and safeguard consumers and investors assets by identifying financial crime, preventing fraud and providing regulatory compliance. The company provides real-time, cross-channel fraud prevention, anti-money laundering detection, and trading surveillance solutions that address such concerns as payment fraud, cybercrime, sanctions monitoring, market abuse, customer due diligence and insider trading. Find us at www.niceactimize.com, @NICE_Actimize or Nasdaq: NICE.

 

About NICE

With NICE (Nasdaq: NICE), it’s never been easier for organizations of all sizes around the globe to create extraordinary customer experiences while meeting key business metrics. Featuring the world’s #1 cloud native customer experience platform, CXone, NICE is a worldwide leader in AI-powered contact center software. Over 25,000 organizations in more than 150 countries, including over 85 of the Fortune 100 companies, partner with NICE to transform – and elevate – every customer interaction. www.nice.com.

Trademark Note: NICE and the NICE logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NICE Ltd. All other marks are trademarks of their respective owners. For a full list of NICE’s marks, please see: www.nice.com/nice-trademarks.

 

Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, including the statements by Mr. Costigan, are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of NICE Ltd. (the “Company”). In some cases, such forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “should,” “project,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results or performance of the Company to differ materially from those described herein, including but not limited to the impact of changes in economic and business conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; competition; successful execution of the Company’s growth strategy; success and growth of the Company’s cloud Software-as-a-Service business; changes in technology and market requirements; decline in demand for the Company’s products; inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications; difficulties or delays in absorbing and integrating acquired operations, products, technologies and personnel; loss of market share; an inability to maintain certain marketing and distribution arrangements; the Company’s dependency on third-party cloud computing platform providers, hosting facilities and service partners;, cyber security attacks or other security breaches against the Company; the effect of newly enacted or modified laws, regulation or standards on the Company and our products and various other factors and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting the company, refer to the Company’s reports filed from time to time with the SEC, including the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise them, except as required by law.

Contacts

Corporate Media Contact:

Cindy Morgan-Olson, +1 646 408 5896, ET, media@nice.com

Investors:

Marty Cohen, +1 551 256 5354, ET, ir@nice.com
Omri Arens, +972 3 763 0127, CET, ir@nice.com

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Second edition of Emerge development program gets Singapore, Taiwan backing

The Singapore Film Commission and the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) have agreed to back training and development program, Emerge, which supports writers, directors and producers to develop Chinese-language original films.

 

The announcement was unveiled on Friday within the context of the Asia Television Forum (ATF) in Singapore. Signatories included the executive chair of SFC, Justin Ang and chairperson of TAICCA, Homme Tsai.

 

The 12-week programme will combine hybrid and virtual sessions held in both Singapore and Taiwan from March to May 2024. In-person classes are scheduled to take place in Singapore in March, hybrid workshops and consultations online and in Taiwan, culminating in a final pitch day and award ceremony, planned at the Marche du Film Market in Cannes, May.

 

The session will include experienced global film producers, directors and executives including Ron Howard, Sukee Chew (“Sugar23”), Trey Callaway (“9-1-1 Lonestar”), Derek Tsang (“Better Days”) and Jojo Hui (“The Warlords”) as guest lecturers.

 

This is the second edition of Emerge, after a previous round backed by TAICCA, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and Cora Yim’s Sixty Percent Productions.

 

“With the increasing demand for Asian storytelling all over the world, this collaboration provides a truly international platform for Singapore filmmakers to take their skills to the next level,” said Ang.

 

“Leveraging the resources of Hollywood and leading multinational film and television companies in Asia, the collaboration seeks to craft content that resonates on a global scale,” said TAICCA chair Homme Tsai.

 

“We had a successful inaugural Emerge with TAICCA and Sixty Percent Productions, which allowed us to work with talented storytellers that yielded results,” said Imagine executive chairmen Grazer and Howard, in a joint statement.

 

“Emerge has been fruitful since its launch last September, with five Taiwanese TV projects incubated and a TV series [Chang Kaichih and Chen Fang Chi’s “Gunshot”] greenlit by Public Television Service in Taiwan for further development. We are delighted to extend our program to developing films with filmmakers from Singapore,” said Yim.

 

 

— Variety

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Desktop Metal now shipping the Figur G15 – a Digital Sheet Metal Forming machine that eliminates the need for custom tooling

  • The Figur G15 uses patent-pending Digital Sheet Forming (DSF) technology in which a software-driven ceramic toolhead on a gantry shapes standard sheet metal into parts with up to 2,000 lbs of force
  • With a maximum sheet size of 1600 x 1200 mm (63.0 x 47.2 in), the Figur G15 delivers parts with a draw depth up to 400 mm (16 in) in Z without custom forming tools, molds, dies, or presses
  • The G15 supports forming a range of metals and sheet thicknesses – including steel up to 2.0 mm and aluminum up to 2.5 mm – and delivers a high quality surface finish
  • Manufacturers now have a competitive way to offer formed sheet metal parts and products quickly for automotive, appliance, and aerospace applications without the high startup and development costs normally associated with sheet metal fabrication
  • First shown at IMTS 2022, the Figur G15 has sold out of its initial manufacturing run and is accelerating production to meet demand
  • A video showcasing how Saltworks will be using the Figur G15 is available at TeamDM.com/Saltworks

 

 

BOSTON — (BUSINESS WIRE) — #3Dprinting — Desktop Metal (NYSE: DM),a global leader in Additive Manufacturing 2.0 technologies for mass production, today announced the first commercial shipments of the Figur G15, an innovative Digital Sheet Forming (DSF) machine tool, to Saltworks Fab, a Florida-based automotive restoration and hot rod company.

 

Satworks is installing two Figur G15 platforms at its Sarasota, Florida facility to accelerate its auto restoration business and expand access to metal forming services to new customers. The company often creates metal body panels that are no longer commercially available with manual hammering and laborious forming processes.

Investing in the Figur G15, the company will dramatically reduce production times while also having the flexibility of digital manufacturing to create complex shapes, efficient one-offs, or produce short-runs of designs. Saltworks recently demonstrated the capabilities of the Figur G15 at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where the team exhibited the entire side body of a Mercedes Gullwing created of 6061 aluminum panels formed on the G15 in under 10 hours for the entire 15-piece assembly.

 

“Our team has over 100 years of combined metal-shaping experience, and we’re excited to bring the latest digital metal forming technology in-house,” said David Jacobsen, CEO of Saltworks Fab. “The Figur G15 buys us time. It allows us to bring vintage vehicles back to their former glory while also enabling us to enter a whole new level of business helping customers that currently don’t have the ability or resources to form metal. Figur G15 allows us to expand access to metal-shaping services to a broader variety of small businesses, design shops, and self-builders.”

 

The Figur G15 is the first commercially available machine tool platform to shape sheet metal on demand without custom tooling. Introduced at the 2022 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, the Figur G15 uses patent-pending DSF technology in which a software-driven ceramic toolhead on a gantry shapes standard sheet metal into parts with up to 2,000 lbs of forming force without tooling, with software that simplifies the creation of sheet metal part production.

 

Recently, custom classic car influencer Rob Ida of Rob Ida Concepts in New Jersey posted on Instagram @rob_ida about how he is using the Figur G15 technology to create components for a 1955 Tucker Carioca, a vehicle concept from legendary carmarker Preston Tucker that never made it from drawing to production.

 

“The response to Figur G15 from the market across a wide variety of sectors has been exciting,” said Justin Nardone, CEO of Figur, a Desktop Metal brand. “The G15 eliminates a lot of the work required when forming metal, such as the design and manufacturing of tools and dies. Our system produces designs quickly, accurately, and repeatedly, so manufacturers are able to focus on the craftsmanship of design while getting their products to market faster and more efficiently.”

 

Saltworks is planning to purchase two additional G15 systems, for a total of four, to join its initial fleet in the near future with plans to run all four machines over three shifts to keep up with demand.

To learn more about Figur, visit figur.desktopmetal.com.

 

About Desktop Metal:

Desktop Metal (NYSE:DM) is driving Additive Manufacturing 2.0, a new era of on-demand, digital mass production of industrial, medical, and consumer products. Our innovative 3D printers, materials, and software deliver the speed, cost, and part quality required for this transformation. We’re the original inventors and world leaders of the 3D printing methods we believe will empower this shift, binder jetting and digital light processing. Today, our systems print metal, polymer, sand and other ceramics, as well as foam and recycled wood. Manufacturers use our technology worldwide to save time and money, reduce waste, increase flexibility, and produce designs that solve the world’s toughest problems and enable once-impossible innovations. Learn more about Desktop Metal and our #TeamDM brands at www.desktopmetal.com.

 

Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in these communications, including statements regarding Desktop Metal’s future results of operations and financial position, financial targets, business strategy, and plans and objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including but not limited to: risks associated with the integration of the business and operations of acquired businesses; Desktop Metals’ ability to realize the benefits from cost saving measures; supply and logistics disruptions, including shortages and delays. For more information about risks and uncertainties that may impact Desktop Metal’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects generally, please refer to Desktop Metal’s reports filed with the SEC, including without limitation the “Risk Factors” and/or other information included in the Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on August 3, 2023, and such other reports as Desktop Metal has filed or may file with the SEC from time to time. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Desktop Metal, Inc. assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contacts

Investor Relations:

(857) 504-1084

DesktopMetalIR@icrinc.com

Media Relations:

Sarah Webster

(313) 715-6988

sarahwebster@desktopmetal.com

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Zycus’ AI Council charts the course of Generative AI in procurement

Merlin Assist – Gen AI chatbot awarded Innovative Solution of the Year by CPO100

 

PRINCETON, N.J. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Zycus, a pioneer in Cognitive Procurement Software, proudly announces the continued success of its AI Council, uniting CPOs representing over $0.5 trillion of annual spends, and leading analysts to propel AI advancements in Source-to-Pay (S2P).

 

The recent session focused on Gen-AI use cases.

Innovative Leap with Merlin Assist

At the heart of these advancements is Merlin Assist, an AI-powered chatbot integrated with Microsoft Teams, offering a singular, streamlined interface for procurement activities. Enriched with the capability to utilize any Generative AI LLM, like OpenAI / ChatGPT or Bard AI, Merlin Assist is poised to redefine business engagement within procurement. Incidentally, Merlin Assist – Gen AI chatbot was awarded the most “Innovative Solution of the year” by CPO100 at their 2nd annual conclave held in Dubai.

 

Aatish Dedhia, Founder & CEO of Zycus, emphasizes, “Merlin Assist is more than a technological innovation; it’s a paradigm shift in procurement. Integrating Generative AI into our platform empowers users to navigate procurement processes with unprecedented ease and intelligence. We have always believed AI is the new UI, and Gen-AI truly makes it possible.”

 

Council’s Collaborative Triumphs

The AI Council, comprising prominent leaders Hervé Le Faou (Heineken), Brian Roche (Westfield Insurance), Daniele Landi (Danone), Piotr Teodorczyk (Suntory Holdings), Florence Tinsley-Roy (PwC), Robert Andersen (NewsCorp), Shyamala Chalakudi (Hewlett Packard Enterprise), Chris Sawchuk (The Hackett Group), and Kishore Pejavara (Delta Air Lines), among others, prioritized key Gen-AI use cases for the source-to-pay process. The members voted on the 20+ Gen-AI uses cases demonstrated live by Zycus which were developed over the past 4 months based on specific inputs from AI Council meet held in June 2023.

 

Top voted priorities include:

  • RFP generation,
  • Category strategy development,
  • Contract summary creation, and
  • Supplier discovery.

These use cases address current challenges and pave the way for strategic advancements in procurement.

 

Path to General Availability

While thousands of end users across key Zycus clients across the USA & Europe are currently using the Beta version of Merlin Assist, the Gen-AI powered Merlin Assist is scheduled for general availability by early next year. This early adoption is a testament to the significant impact Merlin Assist is anticipated to have across various industries.

 

About Zycus:

Zycus is the pioneer in Cognitive Procurement software and has been a trusted partner of choice for large global enterprises for two decades. Zycus has been consistently recognized by Gartner, Forrester, and other analysts for its Source-to-Pay integrated suite. Zycus powers its S2P software with the revolutionary Merlin AI Suite. Merlin AI takes over the tactical tasks and empowers procurement and AP officers to focus on strategic projects; offers data-driven actionable insights for quicker and smarter decisions, and its conversational AI offers a B2C type user-experience to the end-users.

Contacts

Arnish Shah

Associate Director – Marketing

Zycus Inc.

arnish.shah@zycus.com